Jack Aubrey
Encyclopedia
John "Jack" Aubrey, KB
, is a fictional character
in the Aubrey–Maturin series
of novels by Patrick O'Brian
. The series portrays his rise from Lieutenant to Rear-Admiral in the Royal Navy
during the Napoleonic Wars
. The twenty (and one incomplete draft
)-book series encompasses Aubrey's adventures and various commands along his course to flying a rear admiral's flag. He starts as a lieutenant, depressed, poor and without a ship until he is given his first command: a fourteen-gun brig
-rigged
sloop
, HMS
Sophie.
Most of his naval battles and adventures are drawn from actual Royal Navy history. Several of his exploits and reverses are directly based on the chequered career of Thomas Cochrane
, most importantly the plots of Master and Commander
, The Reverse of the Medal
and Blue at the Mizzen
.
Throughout the books, Aubrey is presented as a great lover of music and player of the violin. He is generally accompanied by his friend and shipmate Stephen Maturin on the cello. Aubrey is particularly fond of the music of Corelli
. Aubrey is noted for his mangling and mis-splicing of proverb
s, sometimes with Maturin's involvement, such as “Never count the bear’s skin before it is hatched” and “There’s a good deal to be said for making hay while the iron is hot.”
Aubrey is played by Russell Crowe
in the 2003 film Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
and by David Robb
in the BBC Radio 4
adaptations of the novels .
, Aubrey attributes his education to "Queeny," the wife to Lord Keith, the historical Hester Thrale
. Her family had occupied Damplow, a house near General Aubrey's estate and Jack learned mathematics and Latin from her.
Like many officers in the British fleet, Aubrey spent much of his life raised on the sea, joining the navy very early in his life. While a midshipman aboard the HMS Resolution
commanded by a friend of General Aubrey's, Captain Douglas, Jack was turned before the mast for hiding a girl aboard the ship. He spent six months as a common seaman before being rerated as a midshipman. This was when Lord Keith was still Captain Elphinstone, therefore pre-1797.
Aubrey also spent some time as 5th Lieutenant aboard HMS Hannibal (in service 1786–1801), under Captain John Newman. There, after insulting the first Lieutenant, he was put in front of a board, with Lord Keith upon it, which reprimanded him for his "petulance," which led to Aubrey spending eight months ashore with half pay.
While second lieutenant aboard , Aubrey was the leader of the prize crew for the Généreux
when she was captured by Nelson's fleet in 1800.
, prefixed HMS. On one occasion he commands an Honourable East India Company
ship, and for some time Surprise is a hired vessel working for the Royal Navy (HMHV), and the Franklin is a privateer captured by Jack Aubrey, and used for a brief time, before he sells it. Nutmeg of Consolations status is undefined, as she belongs to Stamford Raffles
, the Governor of Batavia
.
}
| 3rd
| 74
| 32 lb
| The Ionian Mission
| 1813
| Converted to shear hulk following storm damage
| Yes
|-
| HMS Surprise
| 6th
| 28
| 12 lb
| The Ionian Mission
| 1813
| Temporary command
| No
|-
| HEICS Niobe
|
|
| 9 lb
| Treason's Harbour
| 1813
| Temporary command
| Yes
|-
| HMS Surprise
| 6th
| 28
| 12 lb
| The Far Side of the World
| 1813
| Paid off, then sold out of service
| No
|-
| HMS Diane
| 5th
| 32
| 18 lb
| The Thirteen Gun Salute
| 1813
| Grounded on a reef, then destroyed by storm
| Yes
|-
| Nutmeg of Consolation
| 6th
| 20
| 32 lb carronades
| The Nutmeg of Consolation
| 1813
| Returned to governor, transferred to Surprise
| Yes
|-
| HMHV Surprise
| 6th
| 28
| 12 lb
| Clarissa Oakes
| 1813
| Transferred himself to Franklin
| No
|-
| Privateer
Franklin
|
| 22
| 24 lb carronades
| The Wine Dark Sea
| 1813
| Transferred himself back to the Surprise
| Yes
|-
|
| 3rd
| 74
| 32 lb
| The Commodore
The Yellow Admiral
| 1813
| Paid off
| No
|-
|
| 5th
| 38
| 18 lb
| The Hundred Days
| 1815
| Transferred to HMS Surprise
| No
|-
| HMS Surprise
| 6th
| 28
| 12 lb
| The Hundred Days
| 1815
| Damaged in collision, then sent in for repairs
| No
|-
| HMHV Surprise
| 6th
| 28
| 12 lb
| Blue at the Mizzen
| 1815
| Promoted: raised Flag on HMS Suffolk
| No
|-
|
| 3rd
| 74
| 32 lb
| The Final Unfinished Voyage of Jack Aubrey
| 1817
|
| was sold in 1816
|}
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate mediæval ceremony for creating a knight, which involved bathing as one of its elements. The knights so created were known as Knights of the Bath...
, is a fictional character
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in the Aubrey–Maturin series
Aubrey–Maturin series
The Aubrey–Maturin series is a sequence of nautical historical novels—20 completed and one unfinished—by Patrick O'Brian, set during the Napoleonic Wars and centering on the friendship between Captain Jack Aubrey of the Royal Navy and his ship's surgeon Stephen Maturin, who is also a physician,...
of novels by Patrick O'Brian
Patrick O'Brian
Patrick O'Brian, CBE , born Richard Patrick Russ, was an English novelist and translator, best known for his Aubrey–Maturin series of novels set in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars and centred on the friendship of English Naval Captain Jack Aubrey and the Irish–Catalan physician Stephen...
. The series portrays his rise from Lieutenant to Rear-Admiral in the Royal Navy
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
during the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
. The twenty (and one incomplete draft
The Final Unfinished Voyage of Jack Aubrey
The Final Unfinished Voyage of Jack Aubrey is an unfinished historical novel by English author Patrick O'Brian, the twenty-first one in the Aubrey-Maturin series...
)-book series encompasses Aubrey's adventures and various commands along his course to flying a rear admiral's flag. He starts as a lieutenant, depressed, poor and without a ship until he is given his first command: a fourteen-gun brig
Brig
A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...
-rigged
Sail-plan
A sail-plan is a set of drawings, usually prepared by a naval architect. It shows the various combinations of sail proposed for a sailing ship.The combinations shown in a sail-plan almost always include three configurations:...
sloop
Sloop-of-war
In the 18th and most of the 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. As the rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above, this meant that the term sloop-of-war actually encompassed all the unrated combat vessels including the...
, HMS
Her Majesty's Ship
Her or His Majesty's Ship is the ship prefix used for ships of the navy in some monarchies, either formally or informally.-HMS:* In the British Royal Navy, it refers to the king or queen of the United Kingdom as appropriate at the time...
Sophie.
Most of his naval battles and adventures are drawn from actual Royal Navy history. Several of his exploits and reverses are directly based on the chequered career of Thomas Cochrane
Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald
Admiral Thomas Cochrane, 10th Earl of Dundonald, 1st Marquess of Maranhão, GCB, ODM , styled Lord Cochrane between 1778 and 1831, was a senior British naval flag officer and radical politician....
, most importantly the plots of Master and Commander
Master and Commander
Master and Commander is a historical naval novel by Patrick O'Brian. First published in 1969 , it is first in the Aubrey-Maturin series of stories of Captain Jack Aubrey and the naval surgeon Stephen Maturin. Closely based on the historical feats of Lord Cochrane, O'Brian's novel is set in the...
, The Reverse of the Medal
The Reverse of the Medal
The Reverse of the Medal is a historical novel by Patrick O'Brian set during the Napoleonic Wars. It was first published by HarperCollins in 1986 and is the eleventh book in the Aubrey-Maturin series, concerning the adventures of naval commander Jack Aubrey, and his friend, ship's surgeon,...
and Blue at the Mizzen
Blue at the Mizzen
The novel Blue at the Mizzen is the last completed work in Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series. A blue ensign at the mizzen-mast indicated the presence of a Rear Admiral of the Blue, the lowest flag-rank in the Royal Navy of the early 19th century....
.
Throughout the books, Aubrey is presented as a great lover of music and player of the violin. He is generally accompanied by his friend and shipmate Stephen Maturin on the cello. Aubrey is particularly fond of the music of Corelli
Arcangelo Corelli
Arcangelo Corelli was an Italian violinist and composer of Baroque music.-Biography:Corelli was born at Fusignano, in the current-day province of Ravenna, although at the time it was in the province of Ferrara. Little is known about his early life...
. Aubrey is noted for his mangling and mis-splicing of proverb
Proverb
A proverb is a simple and concrete saying popularly known and repeated, which expresses a truth, based on common sense or the practical experience of humanity. They are often metaphorical. A proverb that describes a basic rule of conduct may also be known as a maxim...
s, sometimes with Maturin's involvement, such as “Never count the bear’s skin before it is hatched” and “There’s a good deal to be said for making hay while the iron is hot.”
Aubrey is played by Russell Crowe
Russell Crowe
Russell Ira Crowe is a New Zealander Australian actor , film producer and musician. He came to international attention for his role as Roman General Maximus Decimus Meridius in the 2000 historical epic film Gladiator, directed by Ridley Scott, for which he won an Academy Award for Best Actor, a...
in the 2003 film Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World is a 2003 film directed by Peter Weir, starring Russell Crowe as Jack Aubrey, with Paul Bettany as Stephen Maturin and released by 20th Century Fox, Miramax Films and Universal Studios...
and by David Robb
David Robb
David Robb is an English actor.Robb has starred in various British films and television shows, including films such as Swing Kids and Hellbound. He is well known for playing Germanicus in the famous 1976 BBC production of I, Claudius and as Robin Grant, one of the principal character in Thames...
in the BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British domestic radio station, operated and owned by the BBC, that broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history. It replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. The station controller is currently Gwyneth Williams, and the...
adaptations of the novels .
Education and Early life
In Master and CommanderMaster and Commander
Master and Commander is a historical naval novel by Patrick O'Brian. First published in 1969 , it is first in the Aubrey-Maturin series of stories of Captain Jack Aubrey and the naval surgeon Stephen Maturin. Closely based on the historical feats of Lord Cochrane, O'Brian's novel is set in the...
, Aubrey attributes his education to "Queeny," the wife to Lord Keith, the historical Hester Thrale
Hester Maria Elphinstone, Viscountess Keith
Hester Maria Elphinstone, Viscountess Keith born Hester Maria Thrale was a British literary correspondent and intellectual. She was the eldest child of Hester Thrale, diarist, author and confidante of Samuel Johnson, and Henry, a wealthy brewer and patron of the arts...
. Her family had occupied Damplow, a house near General Aubrey's estate and Jack learned mathematics and Latin from her.
Early career
This section covers the career of Aubrey before the Aubrey-Maturin series, for more information on that period, see the individual books.Like many officers in the British fleet, Aubrey spent much of his life raised on the sea, joining the navy very early in his life. While a midshipman aboard the HMS Resolution
HMS Resolution
Several ships of the Royal Navy have borne the name HMS Resolution. However, the first English warship to bear the name Resolution was actually the first rate Prince Royal , which was renamed Resolution in 1650 following the inauguration of the Commonwealth, and continued to bear that name until...
commanded by a friend of General Aubrey's, Captain Douglas, Jack was turned before the mast for hiding a girl aboard the ship. He spent six months as a common seaman before being rerated as a midshipman. This was when Lord Keith was still Captain Elphinstone, therefore pre-1797.
Aubrey also spent some time as 5th Lieutenant aboard HMS Hannibal (in service 1786–1801), under Captain John Newman. There, after insulting the first Lieutenant, he was put in front of a board, with Lord Keith upon it, which reprimanded him for his "petulance," which led to Aubrey spending eight months ashore with half pay.
While second lieutenant aboard , Aubrey was the leader of the prize crew for the Généreux
French ship Généreux (1785)
The Généreux was a French Téméraire class ship of the line.She was launched in 1785 at Rochefort. With the Guillaume Tell, she was one of only two ships to escape the British attack at the Battle of the Nile in August 1798....
when she was captured by Nelson's fleet in 1800.
Ships commanded by Jack Aubrey
During the series of novels, Jack Aubrey commands a large number of vessels. Most of them are ships of the Royal NavyRoyal Navy
The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
, prefixed HMS. On one occasion he commands an Honourable East India Company
British East India Company
The East India Company was an early English joint-stock company that was formed initially for pursuing trade with the East Indies, but that ended up trading mainly with the Indian subcontinent and China...
ship, and for some time Surprise is a hired vessel working for the Royal Navy (HMHV), and the Franklin is a privateer captured by Jack Aubrey, and used for a brief time, before he sells it. Nutmeg of Consolations status is undefined, as she belongs to Stamford Raffles
Stamford Raffles
Sir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles, FRS was a British statesman, best known for his founding of the city of Singapore . He is often described as the "Father of Singapore"...
, the Governor of Batavia
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
.
| Ship | Rate | Guns | Main armament | Book | Notional Year | End of commission | Fictional? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HM Sloop Sophie | Brig-Sloop | 14 | 4 lb | Master and Commander Master and Commander Master and Commander is a historical naval novel by Patrick O'Brian. First published in 1969 , it is first in the Aubrey-Maturin series of stories of Captain Jack Aubrey and the naval surgeon Stephen Maturin. Closely based on the historical feats of Lord Cochrane, O'Brian's novel is set in the... |
1800 | Captured | = HM Sloop Speedy |
| HM Sloop Polychrest | Sloop | 24 | 32 lb carronade Carronade The carronade was a short smoothbore, cast iron cannon, developed for the Royal Navy by the Carron Company, an ironworks in Falkirk, Scotland, UK. It was used from the 1770s to the 1850s. Its main function was to serve as a powerful, short-range anti-ship and anti-crew weapon... s |
Post Captain Post Captain (novel) Post Captain is a 1972 historical naval novel by Patrick O'Brian. It is second in the Aubrey–Maturin series of stories set in the early-nineteenth century, concerning the adventures of Captain Jack Aubrey and naval surgeon Stephen Maturin... |
1803 | Sunk (structural failure) | Yes |
| 5th | 38 | 18 lb | Post Captain Post Captain (novel) Post Captain is a 1972 historical naval novel by Patrick O'Brian. It is second in the Aubrey–Maturin series of stories set in the early-nineteenth century, concerning the adventures of Captain Jack Aubrey and naval surgeon Stephen Maturin... |
1804 | Temporary command | No | |
| 6th | 28 | 12 lb | HMS Surprise HMS Surprise (novel) HMS Surprise is a 1973 historical naval novel by Patrick O'Brian. It is third in the Aubrey-Maturin series of stories that follow the partnership of Captain Jack Aubrey and the naval surgeon Stephen Maturin... |
1805 | Paid off | No | |
| 5th | 38 | 18 lb | The Mauritius Command The Mauritius Command The Mauritius Command is a historical naval novel by British author Patrick O'Brian. It is fourth in the Aubrey-Maturin series of stories that follow the partnership of Captain Jack Aubrey and the naval surgeon Stephen Maturin. It retells in fictional form the real campaign carried out by the Royal... |
1809 | Transferred to Raisonnable | No | |
| 3rd | 64 | 24 lb | The Mauritius Command The Mauritius Command The Mauritius Command is a historical naval novel by British author Patrick O'Brian. It is fourth in the Aubrey-Maturin series of stories that follow the partnership of Captain Jack Aubrey and the naval surgeon Stephen Maturin. It retells in fictional form the real campaign carried out by the Royal... |
1809 | Monsoon season; transferred back to Boadicea | No | |
| 4th | 50 | 24 lb | Desolation Island Desolation Island (novel) Desolation Island is an historical novel by Patrick O'Brian. It is the fifth book in the Aubrey-Maturin series, and is set prior to the War of 1812.-Plot summary:... |
1811 | Converted to transport | No | |
| HM Sloop Ariel | Sloop | 16 | 6 lb | The Surgeon's Mate The Surgeon's Mate The Surgeon's Mate is a historical novel written by Patrick O'Brian and set during the Napoleonic Wars. It is the seventh book in the Aubrey–Maturin series.-Plot summary:... |
1813 | Sunk after striking reef Reef In nautical terminology, a reef is a rock, sandbar, or other feature lying beneath the surface of the water .... |
No |
| 3rd
| 74
| 32 lb
| The Ionian Mission
The Ionian Mission
The Ionian Mission is a historical novel by Patrick O'Brian, set during the Napoleonic Wars. It is the eighth in the Aubrey-Maturin series.-Plot summary:...
| 1813
| Converted to shear hulk following storm damage
| Yes
|-
| HMS Surprise
| 6th
| 28
| 12 lb
| The Ionian Mission
The Ionian Mission
The Ionian Mission is a historical novel by Patrick O'Brian, set during the Napoleonic Wars. It is the eighth in the Aubrey-Maturin series.-Plot summary:...
| 1813
| Temporary command
| No
|-
| HEICS Niobe
|
|
| 9 lb
| Treason's Harbour
Treason's Harbour
Treason's Harbour is a historical novel by British author Patrick O'Brian, set during the Napoleonic period, which follows the life of two friends, naval captain Jack Aubrey and his ship's surgeon Stephen Maturin. It is the ninth book in the Aubrey-Maturin series.-Plot summary:Jack and Stephen are...
| 1813
| Temporary command
| Yes
|-
| HMS Surprise
| 6th
| 28
| 12 lb
| The Far Side of the World
The Far Side of the World
The Far Side of the World is an historical novel by Patrick O'Brian set during the Napoleonic Wars. It was first published by HarperCollins in 1984 and is the tenth book in the Aubrey-Maturin series, concerning the adventures of naval commander Jack Aubrey, and his friend, ship's surgeon,...
| 1813
| Paid off, then sold out of service
| No
|-
| HMS Diane
| 5th
| 32
| 18 lb
| The Thirteen Gun Salute
The Thirteen Gun Salute
The Thirteen Gun Salute is an historical novel by Patrick O'Brian set during the Napoleonic Wars. It was first published by HarperCollins in 1989 and is the thirteenth book in the Aubrey–Maturin series, concerning the adventures of naval commander Jack Aubrey, and his friend, ship's surgeon,...
| 1813
| Grounded on a reef, then destroyed by storm
| Yes
|-
| Nutmeg of Consolation
| 6th
| 20
| 32 lb carronades
| The Nutmeg of Consolation
The Nutmeg of Consolation
The Nutmeg of Consolation is a historical novel, the fourteenth in the Aubrey-Maturin series, written by British author Patrick O'Brian. The book is set during the Napoleonic Wars and concerns the adventures of naval commander Jack Aubrey, and his friend, ship's surgeon, naturalist and spy, Stephen...
| 1813
| Returned to governor, transferred to Surprise
| Yes
|-
| HMHV Surprise
| 6th
| 28
| 12 lb
| Clarissa Oakes
Clarissa Oakes
Clarissa Oakes is an historical novel set during the Napoleonic Wars, written by British author Patrick O'Brian...
| 1813
| Transferred himself to Franklin
| No
|-
| Privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
Franklin
|
| 22
| 24 lb carronades
| The Wine Dark Sea
| 1813
| Transferred himself back to the Surprise
| Yes
|-
|
| 3rd
| 74
| 32 lb
| The Commodore
The Commodore (novel)
The Commodore is an historical novel set during the Napoleonic Wars, written by British author Patrick O'Brian and published by HarperCollins in 1995. It is the seventeenth volume in the Aubrey-Maturin series. The novel features the adventures of naval commander Jack Aubrey, and his friend, ship's...
The Yellow Admiral
The Yellow Admiral
The Yellow Admiral is a novel by English author Patrick O'Brian, the eighteenth in the Aubrey-Maturin series of historical fiction set in the era of the Napoleonic Wars.-Plot summary:...
| 1813
| Paid off
| No
|-
|
| 5th
| 38
| 18 lb
| The Hundred Days
The Hundred Days (novel)
The Hundred Days is a historical novel written by British author Patrick O'Brian. It is the nineteenth novel in the Aubrey-Maturin series, set during the Napoleonic Wars...
| 1815
| Transferred to HMS Surprise
| No
|-
| HMS Surprise
| 6th
| 28
| 12 lb
| The Hundred Days
The Hundred Days (novel)
The Hundred Days is a historical novel written by British author Patrick O'Brian. It is the nineteenth novel in the Aubrey-Maturin series, set during the Napoleonic Wars...
| 1815
| Damaged in collision, then sent in for repairs
| No
|-
| HMHV Surprise
| 6th
| 28
| 12 lb
| Blue at the Mizzen
Blue at the Mizzen
The novel Blue at the Mizzen is the last completed work in Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series. A blue ensign at the mizzen-mast indicated the presence of a Rear Admiral of the Blue, the lowest flag-rank in the Royal Navy of the early 19th century....
| 1815
| Promoted: raised Flag on HMS Suffolk
| No
|-
|
| 3rd
| 74
| 32 lb
| The Final Unfinished Voyage of Jack Aubrey
The Final Unfinished Voyage of Jack Aubrey
The Final Unfinished Voyage of Jack Aubrey is an unfinished historical novel by English author Patrick O'Brian, the twenty-first one in the Aubrey-Maturin series...
| 1817
|
| was sold in 1816
|}